I’m re-posting this because I think it was one of the best comments ever. Please feel free to ding it up again, (although the good karma rightly belongs to realwest):

#269 realwest

I am honored to express my gratitude to all of the men and women of the US Armed Forces who died wearing the uniform of the United States of America (or who died subsequently from their actions while wearing said uniform) and to their families who feel their individual loss more sharply on this “official” day of Memorial. As the sole remaining man of my very small band of brothers, today is an especially difficult one for me.
But we need to ask: why did those troops die (either in wartime or “peacetime”)? The obvious answer is that they died protecting America. But WHICH America were they protecting? For surely America during the days of WWII (entering a recession when the War ended) differed from the America during the days of WW I (just about to enter the “roaring 20’s” with prosperity for nearly everyone willing to work for it). And of course America today is VASTLY different from the America of WWII or Korea, or Vietnam or Gulf War I. Indeed, Memorial Day was first observed in 1868 and did not honor the men who fought for the Confederate States of America.
I think the answer is the same: despite economic and social differences, America has always been, at heart, about FREEDOM. Indeed, America is the only nation with the Bill of Rights and all of the guaranties granted to the citizens therein. Some of our oldest friends and with whom we have so much in common, Canada and Great Britain, have no protection of freedom of speech comparable to ours. We do not have “Hate Speech” or ” Hate Crimes Tribunal”, we are still free to run out into the street and curse out our political leaders without fear of being arrested and dragged off in the middle of the night, never to be seen or heard from again. And while our Freedoms are still evolving, those enshrined in the Bill of Rights are being expanded. All of those troops who made the Ultimate Sacrifice knew the America that they were defending, in every war. And they loved it so much they were willing to risk and give their lives for it.
Now the Bill of Rights also provides for Freedom of Worship, which necessarily means Freedom not to Worship and I would never ask you all to Pray with me for those troops who lost their lives so that we could live our lives in Freedom and, indeed, so that America could remain the Beacon Of Freedom for the entire World.
But I would ask you all to please click on this short (2:29) song, listen and bow your heads for a minute in pride and remembrance of all those who gave all for all of us and our children:
[Link: imeem.com…]
Thank you all.